


Happier

by LadyFrandrews



Series: Fathom [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: M/M, POV Nancy Wheeler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-06 06:13:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17340068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyFrandrews/pseuds/LadyFrandrews
Summary: An arm appears over Billy’s shoulder and a friendly greeting brings her back to the moment. Steve is greeting Tommy and Carol with his arm draped over Billy’s shoulders like a friendly gesture.Billy’s still staring at her. He can read her she realizes. She excuses herself from their little conversation and goes outside to Tina’s backyard. She’s not quite panicking, but she feels very close to it.





	Happier

**Author's Note:**

> i'm stuck on these two idiots...i think i need help...

* * *

 

She doesn’t know _why_ she’s here because she remembers being in this same house last fall, telling Steve that their love, that all of this, that _he_ was _bullshit_. Correction, she knows why she’s here, it’s the last Halloween party of their senior year. Jonathan’s at work, and she really had nothing better to do. She was not going to take Holly trick-or-treating.

 

She’s been nursing her fourth bottle of beer for the last hour, just watching her classmates. She notices Tommy and Carol near the kitchen with Billy Hargrove. Tommy stuck around for Carol. He goes to the community college two towns over and plans to transfer to some state university in the fall with her. 

 

She’s heard the rumors that Billy plans to return to California. She’s also heard the whispers that he’s not going _alone_. Even Mike knows more about that situation than she does. Apparently he and Max talk. They have secrets between them about everyone else in their little party. They’re also the only two who can tolerate the other talking about their love without getting annoyed. Even Lucas and Eleven can’t stand talking about their feelings like Mike and Max can. No, she realizes, it’s not that they can’t, it’s just that Max and Mike are guarded the same way. They get each other in a way that none of the other’s do or can. 

 

She watches Billy Hargrove. Watches as he grins at whoever taps him in greeting as they pass by. Watches as he gives Carol his undivided attention during their conversation. Watches as he alternates between the two when Tommy injects something to their conversation. He stands like he’s on edge but trying to hide it. Like there's more to his brute image but he's trying so hard to keep it hidden.

 

If Barb were still here she’d call her out for being a stalker.

 

But Barb’s not here so she’s going to carry on. She glances away at the loud cheers by the front door-- _Steve_ ’s here. He just arrived. He’s carrying a few six-packs under one arm and has a bag of chips in the other. She doesn’t press into the couch, but it’s a near close thing that she does.She’s heard that he stuck around. Not wanting to go off to school immediately. Something Will said at dinner one night, a while ago. These kids know more about his life than she does. 

 

Her eyes follow him as he crosses to the kitchen, placing the six-packs on the counter and tossing the bag of chips with the other snacks. Follows as he waves, smiles, and greets those who flock to him. He keeps following someone with his eyes but every time she glances in the direction he’s looked, she can’t see anyone worth his attention. A few times she sees Billy Hargrove cutting off her view of some girl before she’s returning her gaze to Steve. 

 

She feels a pang of jealousy course through her, despite knowing she has no right to feel like that. She called him bullshit. She called the love he freely gave her bullshit. She just remembers what it’s like to be looked at like that from those big, brown eyes of his. How everything he felt about you, you knew because he could just _look_ at you and you’d _know_. 

 

She watches as he heads upstairs. She _wants_ to follow but knows it wouldn’t be right. She hasn’t spoken to him much. Not outside of the times he’s babysitting the kids for all their parents. Or the brief waves if they pass each other around town. 

 

She makes her way to the kitchen, grab something stronger than the beer in her hand. She’s not paying attention and bumps into someone. A strong hand on her arm rights her and she looks up into the face of Billy Hargrove. He doesn’t say anything to her, but he looks like he’s holding something back. She dares him to say a word. He doesn’t, just lets go of her and makes his way towards the same stairs she saw Steve go up a few moments ago. She sees a girl in a purple dress follow a few steps behind him.

 

She gulps down a cup of whatever’s in the punch bowl. Lets it burn on its way down, spreading the kind of warmth only strong alcohol can give. She can do this. She can go and talk to Steve. See how he’s doing. What he’s up to since he’s not going off to school right away. If anything, they can talk about the kids. 

 

She looks around, no one’s noticed her vacating her spot on the couch, so she heads towards the stairs and up. As she gets to the bathroom door the girl in the purple dress opens the door and exits, slipping by as she heads back down to the party. Now she’s confused because the bathroom is _empty_ and she saw her follow Billy Hargrove up the stairs. Had he slipped back down without her noticing? 

 

She shakes her head, she’s looking for Steve. She wants to know who makes his face light up like it did earlier. It _never_ looked like that when _she_ was with him. In fact, she wants to let them know that they better not hurt him. At all. And definitely not like she did. 

 

She sees the door with a note taped, designating as Tina’s parents’ bedroom. It’s cracked and she knows it shouldn’t be. There are just rules that should be followed at parties and a room marked as parents is always going to be off limits. 

 

She peeks in because she’s always going to be a nosy someone and it’s a near miss that she gasps out loud. She quickly covers her mouth to keep any noise she makes muffled.

 

It’s _Steve_. _And Billy_. Steve and Billy with their arms around each other, mouths attached in a rather heated kiss. Hands disappearing under hems of shirts, brief glimpses of their bare backs as they’re lost in each other. 

 

She knows she shouldn’t still be standing here. Could probably get away with closing the door and just turning and walking away. Maybe grab another cup or five of the stuff in the punch bowl. 

 

They pull apart and smile at each other. She can see the way their eyes crinkle at the corners and their cheeks widen. She’s _never_ seen Steve smile like _that_. It was never directed at her. Never _given_ to _her_. 

 

She watches, far longer than she has any right to, as Billy gently reaches up and cups Steve’s cheek, rubbing his thumb across it. He says something that has Steve flushing pink before they’re kissing each other again. 

 

She goes back downstairs. Drinks three more cups of the punch bowl offering and returns to her spot on the couch. She doesn’t track the time. Nor anyone else around her. She comes out of her jumbled thoughts as she feels a body sit down beside her and someone say her name.

 

It’s Carol. And Tommy on her other side. She’s asking about plans for after graduation. She just starts talking. Talking about how her and Jonathan plan on going to New York City. Investigative Journalism. Or something like it. She gets lost in small talk while her mind is still trying to wrap itself around processing what she witnessed upstairs. Does anyone know?

 

A shadow blocks the light for a moment and she glances up at Billy Hargrove. With his lips still swollen and wet, as if Steve’s saliva still lingers, or he’s licked them to keep a trace of Steve’s taste. She tries and fails not to immediately look behind him for Steve. She hates the smirk on his face when she looks back up at him, realizing that Steve’s not back downstairs yet. 

 

They’re smart for staying in the shadows. For keeping it behind closed doors. For keeping it secret. 

 

An arm appears over Billy’s shoulder and a friendly greeting brings her back to the moment. Steve is greeting Tommy and Carol with his arm draped over Billy’s shoulders like a friendly gesture. 

 

Billy’s still staring at her. He can read her she realizes. She excuses herself from their little conversation and goes outside to Tina’s backyard. She’s not quite panicking, but she feels very close to it. 

 

She’s not alone after a few moments and she doesn’t want to know who followed her outside. 

 

“Nance;” it’s Steve.

 

She turns around to face him, “I saw you. Upstairs. With, _with_ him.”

 

She doesn’t mean to say it quite like she does, but she’s not going to apologize or take it back. She watches as he looks everywhere but at her. He’s uncomfortable now.

 

But then he takes a deep breath and he smiles. The same one she saw him give Billy earlier. The one she’s never been given. Not until now, with someone else in mind to create it. 

 

“You’re happier,” she says. “It suits you. It’s, it’s okay. I’m fine.”

 

She _means_ it. She can tell he’s hesitant to believe her, but she hears Tommy call his name from the backdoor and he looks like he really wants to go back inside. To them. _To Billy_. She waves him off, even after he checks with her twice before actually turning back to the house.

 

She follows a few minutes later. After she watched from the window outside. Eyes following the two boys around the party as they each greeting familiar faces. Never standing too close to cause suspicion, but often kept a hand on a shoulder, and always making eye-contact. Not lingering stares, but glances to let the other know that they’re still on their mind.

  
  


A while later, she goes to refill her last drink before Jonathan swings by to pick her up, she runs into Billy again. She wants to tell him to be careful with Steve. Don’t take him for granted, not like she did. What she does say to him, as they both lean in close over the punch bowl that’s changed from a green to a blue concoction, “You’re happier. It suits you too.” 

 

She appreciates the brief flicker of fear that crossed his face, but even more, the look of recognition. He _gets_ it. He understands that _she knows_ about them. That she’s okay with it. She’s made him speechless. It’s probably the only win she’ll ever have over him. She raises her cup and walks away, towards the front door. She’ll wait for Jon out front. 

 


End file.
